United Airlines has launched a pilot program at Newark Liberty International Airport, allowing passengers to order food, beverages, and travel essentials through its mobile app and have them delivered directly to their boarding gate prior to embarkation. The service aims to reduce dwell time and ground operational friction, responding to traveler needs at high-traffic hubs.
Eligible customers receive a notification via the United app or email before flight departure. The catalog includes:
- Food and Beverages: Sandwiches, salads, drinks, children’s meals, chips, and snacks.
- Travel Essentials: Over-the-counter medications, neck pillows, and charging cables.
Operational Scope at Newark Hub
The program is currently active on select flights operating or connecting across up to nine designated gates (C125 through C138) within Newark’s Terminal C. These gates serve both domestic and international itineraries operated by narrowbody and widebody aircraft.
“We are focused on areas where the travel experience can be simplified for customers and innovating to eliminate friction along the journey. The window right before boarding is one of those touchpoints where passengers seek quick, easy access to food without extra hassle. Newark is a high-volume hub where passengers often have limited time between gate arrival and boarding, making it the ideal location to pilot this service.”
— David Kinzelman, Chief Customer Officer (CCO) at United Airlines.
For operational execution at Newark, the carrier is partnering with hospitality group OTG, which handles order fulfillment and delivery logistics from airport concessions such as Nonna’s Kitchen and Victory Grill.
Roadmap: Expansion to Houston and In-Flight Entertainment Integration
United Airlines has outlined the following phases for the rollout of this digital initiative:
- Next Phase in Houston: Later this year, the program will expand to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, incorporating offerings from national restaurant brands alongside gate-side delivery.
- Demand Assessment: The airline will collect user feedback during both pilot phases to gauge adoption and evaluate network-wide implementation.
- IFE System Integration: Should a broader rollout occur, United plans to integrate the ordering system directly into seatback In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) screens to further streamline the passenger experience.
United’s Digital Ecosystem
This pilot forms part of the carrier’s broader digital transformation strategy to accelerate passenger flow through airports. Other recent initiatives include:
- The fleet-wide rollout of Starlink satellite Wi-Fi connectivity across its commercial fleet.
- Continuous modernization of its seatback IFE systems.
- Mobile app analytics tools, such as real-time wait time monitoring for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints.
The trial underway at Newark’s Terminal C directly targets one of the primary friction points for connecting passengers: pre-boarding time management.
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